Changescpub715booklet

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 1

Changing the World With Appreciative Inquiry Questions One Person at a Time, or Maybe More!

Kanda University of International Studies Kaihim Makuhari, Japan,

Sogo III Changing the World, Class Publication July 2015, Edited by Tim Murphey

THIS Booklet Belongs to:

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Authors

Change Yourself 2

Pages

TAGUCHI YUMIKO 3 SAKUMA RYO 4 NAKAJIMA MIZUKI 5 ARAKI ERI 6 TAKADA SINA 7 WATARAI MISUZU 8 MATSUMOTO MANA 9 ABE CHIHIRO 10 IKEZAWA NAO 11 ONO YURIA 12 KASE ANJU 13 HORII YURI 14 KATAYAMA MAI 15 KURIHARA SHIORI 16 HIROSE YUMI 17 SUZUKI MIYUKI 18 TOZAWA SUMIKA 19 SENSUI SHIORI 20 SASAKI YUKINO 21 OTANI HANAE 22 TSUCHIYA MAKIKO 23 TAKEUCHI YUINA 24 FUKANO NATSUMI 25 SAKAMOTO KOJI 26 SHITARA RYUICHI 27 The assignment was quite simple…

Go ask someone “How do people help you have a great day and meaningful life?” and don’t stop there! But keep asking for more details and get fascinated by their answers. Write it all down in a short 400 word case study.

And what you then get is myriad ways of appreciating our lives and enriched appreciation for the important things. This is a wonderful collection by some fascinating students.

Tim Murphey mitsmail1@gmail.com

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 3

High Five Ways To Happiness Yumiko Taguchi I chose my friend, Akane as my interviewee. She is a senior student in this university. Lately, she has worried about job hunting and her future. She thought she has to think about her future more seriously, but many assignments prevent her from thinking about it. She looked tired so I want her to be happy. That’s why I chose her.

My first interview was July 3rd at the first period at Lapaz in the university. I asked her “How do people help you have a great day and meaningful life?” She answered that just being with friends makes her heart warm and supports her. Her friends make her laugh and try to encourage her, so her friends help her have a great day and meaningful life.

Also, I asked her “What do you want to do the most now?” Then she had many answers that she want to go shopping with friends, eat sweets, sleep well, and travel somewhere. So, I asked her “Why do these things have good effect on her?”

Then, she answered that she can refresh from her stress, be healthy, smile, and be satisfied with her favorite things. She knew herself well.

At the end of the interview, I taught her “5 ways to the happiness”. I know the university students are really busy, but we should not forget the 5 ways to the happiness. It makes us become happy and healthy. She was really impressed with them and we repeated them many times with gestures. She said it is sure that we can be happy with these 5 ways. I also became happy to hear that.

My second interview was July 7th at the third period at Lapaz in the university.

I asked her “How do people help you have a great day and meaningful life?” again.

She answer that 5 ways to the happiness which I taught help her make a great day and meaningful day. I was very glad that she could remember what I taught her. She said that these 5 ways made her relax and have motivation to do things which she has to do. Also she said that she didn't worry about her future and job hunting recently, because she found that it is important to carry out what she must do. 5 ways to the happiness had a power which changed her mind.

Although she is very busy and tired, she has great and meaningful days thanks to her friends, her favorite things, and the 5 ways to the happiness. I want to teach the 5 ways to the happiness to more people who are not happy and I also want to share our happiness with many people.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 4

Failure Stories Become Experiences Ryo Sakuma When Tim gave me this interview and report assignment, I thought of who would be the best person to interview and who would say the most interesting answers. Then, I chose one of my friends, Yuusuke as the interviewee. I selected him because he has the same dream as I, similar thoughts, and he is the same age.

He went to the same acting school as I and he was my closest friend when I was there. After the weekly lessons, he and I used to talk about the funny stories of the week and discussed movies, novels, etc. When we talked, I always thought his view or opinion was similar to mine. I got in touch with Yusuke after a long absence and I had an opportunity to meet him, so I decided to ask the question "What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?" to him for this assignment.

He talked about recent funny stories about his friends and himself to me as usual. Then, I also told my interesting stories to him and asked the question all of a sudden. Firstly, he had a surprised look, but he answered soon. "People make me laugh by telling their failure stories". He thinks it makes our life wealthy because in other words, a failure or a mistake is an experience for the person. By listening to other's failures, the listener might avoid the same mistake. It is useful for people. In addition, it is a good thing for life to have laughable materials. When I listened to his opinion, I remembered the Doitagain song (do it again!) and talking a failure story in Tim's class.

I really agree with him because I have a similar thought to him to enjoy conversation. When I talk with my friends, I keep it in mind to have an interesting talk or useful talk for the friends. I am glad if my story helps friends' live better or it makes the day meaningful for friends. I think a meaningful day is the day which develops myself, changes me, and makes me wiser and stronger with more ways to deal with the world. Spending those kind of days leads to the greatest life. Yuusuke and I usually help each other have meaningful days with each other by telling mistake stories. I am happy to be able to notice it through this assignment.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 5

Caring About Others Mizuki Nakajima I asked my friend how people help her have a great day and a meaningful life on Sunday, July 5th. She and I have known each other since we were in second grade and my hometown is near hers so it is easy for me to talk about local topics. I was sure that her answers were very useful for me because she is clever and reliable.

But she told me that the question was difficult for her to understand and she was confused so I changed it into “How do YOU help others have a great day and a meaningful life?� She understood that because she also answered that she was glad if someone did what she is conscious of doing.

To begin with, she thinks that small everyday things are important. For example, she holds doors open for others after she enters a room in order to make it easy for them. According to her, foreign teachers at KUIS hold the doors open until students come in. She has tried to do the action for a long time but she is conscious of opening them more often than before. I had a second thought about her opinion when I listened to her story and I thought that was true.

In addition, she listens to people carefully. When she joins a group discussion, she sometimes finds people who do not speak at all or take part in the discussion cooperatively. In that case, she makes an opportunity to have a conversation with them and as a result of that, she can do the task easily. Also, she uses ways like that in her part-time job. She is a teacher at a cram school and in charge of elementary and junior high school students. I heard that it was not easy for her to teach them because some of them are not good at communicating. Nevertheless, if she does not listen to their stories, she cannot know how they are and what kind of problems they have. In order to comprehend how they are, she listens to them and adapts to the situation. She watches their faces not to miss their smiles. She decides how she should teach them based on where they laughed in her stories and knows their favorite topics. That is very important because it is easy for them to study enjoyably if she uses the fun ways. They have told her before that she was like their mother on account of her care.

Finally, in conclusion, she told me that she was able to notice that she thinks about others as she expected and I learned the importance of caring about someone again through the homework too. I try to listen to my friends’ stories but she is a much better listener than me. I appreciate her cooperation and the project.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 6

Friends Mean a Lot Eri Araki My friend Yuri, who I met in my freshman class, cooperated in this final project. We’ve taken the same compulsory subjects for three years. I asked her because she means a lot to me and is really reliable. We always meet at lunchtime on Friday so I asked the question having lunch.

I asked "What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?" First she answered that "Just being with me with smiling a lot makes me happy.” She is pretty funny and always makes her friends including me laugh and smile. She seems to like laughing. This might be the reason why she always makes us laugh. Moreover, she said if people around me laugh out loud at what I say, I really feel happy and that makes my days great and meaningful. A few days later I followed up with some questions and asked in what situations do you feel the most happy? At first, she couldn't answer this question because there are many things that make her happy. However, she finally said “I feel happy when I have dinner with my friends after college because I can talk about anything, like love relationships, job hunting, class and what happened in the day. Just talking makes me feel less stress and relieved so I need nothing special to be happy if only my friends stay with me. She always thinks of her friends more than herself. And then I asked: Me: What stresses you?

Yuri: I really don't like hotness these days, which makes me feel stress badly. Other than that, I feel irritated when people talk loud in a public places, like in a train or bus, and things don’t go well.

Me: How do you cope with these stresses? Talk or laugh with your friends?

Yuri: Exactly! These are the best ways for me to reduce stresses.

A few days later when we were having lunch at Kuis café, she suddenly burst into laughter watching her smart phone. I was surprised and asked her what happened. And then she showed me a video that was about a funny puppy. It was an adorable puppy and we smiled spontaneously at it. She really likes animals and she likes to watch such videos when she is tired to smile and forget everything like bad moments and tiredness. When she was talking about that, she looked really happy. While I heard her story I realized again she loves laughing. Looking back at the days we spent together, she always laughed and I also couldn’t help laughing because her smile has such strong power.

I also think that my friends mean a lot to me and are necessary for my life. They are as important as my family. When my day doesn't go well, I talk with my friends immediately. And then I feel like my day might be more fun or enjoyable. I definitely cannot live without them.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 7

Potential of Smiling Sina Takada I decided to do appreciative inquiry with my friend who also studies in KUIS. I was happy since he willingly cooperated with me. I conducted the initial conversation with Skype, and I asked him the question "How do people help you have a good day and a meaningful life?" He answered that the time when people greet me with there smiles abruptly, even if we don't know each other. And he added that, the kindness of them makes him feel like that he can spend a good day, such as when he gives a seat to someone, they appreciate it and express their gratitude to him by smiling. I realized what he is saying is well linked with Love 2.0: the micro moments of love that I learned in our class.

I also asked him whether he has another example of feeling good by being smiled at by someone. He told me when he was staring at a girl (just because she was pretty), and that girl suddenly smiled at him, then he was really attracted by the shinny smile. I think this is a rare case in Japan, since Japanese people assumed to be shy and rarely simile at someone they don't know before having a conversation. I really approved with the idea that smiling attracts people, and I assume that beauty is not so much to have beautiful face, but to have a beautiful smile. Then I asked him "how did you respond to her?" He said that he smiled at her as well. Maybe he could make her feel happy too, just like the micro moments of love.

Then I followed up and asked "Do you think smiling has a power to make someone happy, and does smiling make yourself happy?" He said definitely yes for both questions, and he said he can get over sadness by smiling. After all, I found the significance of smiling (again) by this inquiry. We agreed with the idea that smiling has a power to make people happy, and it has a power even when a person smiled without any reason, he/she can feel better. I also want to report that he always has an aura to make people laugh or smile, even when he is quiet. I assume that comes from his potential personality and kindness, for example he is always smiling, and has a warm heart to be kind to others. I think nobody is going to hate him, because of that character. The important thing is to have a warm heart, because it causes you have a aura to make others relaxed, and that will evoke smiling from others and you will feel happy seeing them.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 8

Happy Story Misuzu Watarai I interviewed my friend Fumie. She is my best friend since we were elementary school students and she is in China because she goes to university in China. Also she will go to New York on July 10th because of her study abroad so she can speak Japanese, Chinese and English. My interview lasted 30 minutes on July 4th by phone. The language we used was all in English. The reason why I chose her was because she is studying English in China so she has a lot of experiences.

I asked her “What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” She was surprised and worried about me because the question was rather sudden, but she answered soon. She said “I am always happy because there are many friends and family and I am in a good environment. Also I always smile because I think smiling brings you happiness.”

Next, I asked about “Do you have your happy story that is related to smiling?”

When she went to McDonald’s in Japan, she became happy and smiled. Because when she wants to drink McDonald’s Yogurt Shake, she forgot to order it but a McDonald’s staff asked her “Would you like it?” So she could buy it and became happy. Also, the staff’s smile was very nice so she was so happy and started smiling, too. Soon afterward when she left the store, she heard “Thank you” from the staff.

She looked behind and there was a man with a big smile so she became happier and said, “Thank you, too” with a big smile.

In China, the behavior of the staff at McDonald’s is so bad. So she could notice that Japan’s service is No.1 in the world and she was impressed. China’s McDonald’s staffs do not enough smile. (I was happy to hear that and I have confidence in Japan’s service.) If people all over the world started smiling, everyone could be happier. I believe smiling brings you happiness and I will always smile in the future. Also, I would like to make smile at a lot of people. It was a first time to have such a long conversation with her in English, so I really enjoyed making this report. I thought making such conversations in English with her regularly would be useful for me.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 9

Music and Friends Bring Happiness Mana Matsumoto I asked one of my best friend’, Sakina, to help me with this case study. We talked July 12th at the café. It was so hot and nice weather. We were in the same class when we were freshmen and we belonged to the same club “AmazinGlee” for three years. I like talking with her because she is a good listener. When I had some troubles, she supported me every time. Recently we were busy and couldn’t talk so much. Therefore I wanted to talk to her and I decided to ask her.

Before we met I sent an email to her “I want to ask you what people do to help you have a great day and meaningful life?” After arriving at the café, she said “friends and music” are important for my life. I asked her, “Why music is important for your life?” She answered that, “I met many people through music. Also friends and music are sometimes similar because music has a strong power to heal my feeling and encourage me. In the same way, friends gave me power and I feel that I’m not alone.” We belonged to the same musical club so I understand her feeling easily.

After that she told wonderful stories: “When I was depressed, one of the club members sent me the song “Thank you for the music.” While I listened to the music, my tears would not stop”. I was moved by her story and proud of her.

The next day, I sent her an email with the message: “Thank you for talking with me about yourself. We often talk about various things but it was the first time for us to talk about your feelings for music. You were always singing songs lively so I understand that you were conscious of the lyrics meaning.” She just answered “Thank you” but she must be embarrassed.

I asked her “What feelings do you have about your friends (especially circle members) in your school life?” She answered “Thanks to them, I learned the importance of consideration for others and the pleasure of cooperating with others.

We met through the music so this is destiny.”

In conclusion, I felt she liked music so much and enjoyed her school life with the club members. I learned the splendor of music and meaning from her. I decided to be more conscious of the lyrics. Music and friends bring happiness. Thanks to her, I liked music and my friends more.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 10

Smiles and Words have Magical Power!

Chihiro Abe I asked my friend, Yuki to help me with this question. She is in the English department of KUIS. We know each other since we were freshman and we are very good friends. She is a lot of fun and gives me special power when I’m not cheerful.

Judging from her character, I think she spends a good life, so I decided to ask her this question. I interviewed her at the SALC on July 6th and we talked for 15 minutes.

At first, I asked, “How do people help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” After long thinking, she answered, “Talking with my friends makes my life great and meaningful. Especially, I like to be praised and encouraged. ” I asked her to tell me some experiences of this.

She told me two experiences: The first was in the career development class.

During the class, she played a game. I was interested in it after I heard the details from her. In the game, first, she stood in front of classmates and introduced herself.

After that, classmates commented about their first impressions. Next, most students gave her many good and positive comments, so she was very happy to hear them and noticed anew her impression which she didn’t know. The second was at her workplace, McDonald’s. When she started working, she caused a dangerous happening. One day, she was baking a beef. Then, the oil caught fire and the beef was burned black. She failed to bake it, but her manager wasn’t angry at all. On the contrary, he encouraged her. It changed her negative feelings into positive ones.

According to her experiences, conversation and words are powerful for her and she wants to make good relationships. Furthermore, I asked, “Especially, which actions make you happy when you talk with your friends, family and coworkers?” She answered “Well…if everyone laughs or smiles with me, I will be happy. At the beginning of this interview, I said I like to be praised and encouraged, but I think smiling is essential for all things.” As she said, if someone does something for me without smiling, I am confused.

Through this case study, we could reconfirm the importance of smiling.

Smiling makes good relationships and changes the feelings positively. It is like magic because it greatly influences our lives. When I notice someone’s good points, I want to tell them with smiling. I’m happy if I can give my valuable friends great days and meaning lives by asking them important questions. We enjoyed talking and had a meaningful time. Thank you, Yuki!

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 11

Magic Smiling for Us and Others Nao Ikezawa I asked my best friend, Hinata, “What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” I like her because she is so kind, fine and tries to do her best in everything all the time. I respect her personality, so I interviewed her.

When I asked about this question, she immediately said, “Smiling is so important to me!!” Also I wanted to know an episode that supported this answer, so I asked her. She works at Japanese style bar, IZAKAYA, as part time job. It is so hard for her because there are many types of customers there. For example, the young girls and boys like us come and drink a lot of alcohol. It is so noisy because of drunkenness. And not only young people but also adults like office workers. They sometime smoke a lot and are loud. She often feels tired during working. However, if she smiles to customers with her beautiful smile, she can feel better and get over her fatigue. Of course, there are some customers who ignore her kindness and her smile.

I asked her if she felt sad when customers ignored her. And she said, “People have different characters. So I don't care and smiling makes not only others, but also me happy. I can be good by myself. It's so useful.”

She told me one experience about her part time job. One day, her workplace was very crowded because it was Friday. She was busy with serving meals, taking orders and so on. So she was very tired but kept smiling. When she tried to ring up on the cash register, a man customer said, “All of meals are very delicious, and your smile makes them more delicious. Thank you and I'll come back soon.” to her. She felt very happy and this incident motivated her all the time.

Through her experience, I thought smile is like magic because it can change the taste of a meal. Furthermore, a smile makes people happy, not only other people, but also us. To always be with a smile seems to be easy. But there are a lot of situations in life when people have a range of feelings. It may be difficult but I can try to do like her for having a great day and a meaningful life. I learned about being happy a lot from my respectful friend, Hinata. I appreciate her.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 12

Developing Big Love Yuria Ono Through this case study, I am reminded that people can’t live alone. People support each other. And I also think people should make themselves happy to make other people happy.

My best friend Karen helped me with this project. I decided to do this with her because she speaks English very well and I respect her. She doesn’t simply go along with others; she has her own opinions and does what she wants to do. She is not afraid of taking risks. So she always travels the world without working as a full time worker. I met her at KIFL and have been inspired very much by her.

I asked her “How do people help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” She seemed little bit surprised and thinking deeply. About two minutes later, she said, “My mother always makes my day,” I asked “How?” And she said, “She always cares about me. Even when I’m in some foreign countries, she asks me how I’m doing or whether I’m eating well or not. It makes me feel strong and happy.” And she continued: “I have a lots of experiences where I have been betrayed by someone who I’ve trusted. But I’m sure my mother will never betray me and never change no matter what. She always gets my back all the time.”

She said “Also, when I meet someone who helps me kindly, I can feel thankful and happy on that day,” She loves going abroad. It means she goes to a lot to places she has never been to. So it’s normal for her to ask for some help. She says “Some people are very nice they realize that I’m in little trouble and try to help without asking but some are really mean. They obviously know I need help but just ignore and even when I ask, they look uncomfortable and have no smile on their faces. When I meet a person like that, I feel sad and lose confidence to continue my trip.” I could imagine the situation because I have had the same experiences.

Even if you don’t know the person well or have just met, they can affect your day. If everybody in this world could try to make other people be happy more, and not be overly concerned about their own happiness, this world would be quite better, and those people would be happier. No murder, No wars. That’s what I thought through this project. And how parents treat their children is really important and the parents could give deep love to their kids, the kids also could be kind and nice humans having big love like Karen.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 13

A Magical Place Anju Kase I asked one of my friends in KUIS, Saaya. She is same futsal circle so we enjoy playing futsal after class every Tuesday. She and I talked at a gymnasium before futsal on June 30. I asked the question in Japanese and tried to shadow what she said to understand her answer deeply. Moreover, I tried to make a good atmosphere by nodding at her answers.

First, I asked her “How do people help you have a great day?” She looked confused a little and thought a few minutes. Therefore I told some examples of answers to this question (smile a lot, sleep well, having hobby, and talk with friends).

After that, she said “Disney resort is the souse of my power for me.” I know she loves Disney resort because she has annual passport and often goes there to meet characters. Also, She went to Disney resort in California.“Why? What things are you attracted to Disney resort?” She said “Everything! The atmosphere, cast with a smiling, music of parade, character… all of Disney resort makes me excited and I can forget all abominable things.” I asked her the episode of cast she liked the best.

She talked to me about her birthday. She likes “Snow White” so snow white wrote a message with a kiss mark for her on her birthday! I thought this birthday was to be an unforgettable day.

Moreover, I asked her “Who influenced you?” She answered “Totally, My mother. When I was child, I was always surrounded by video animation and toys of Disney world.” She often watched video with her sister.

In addition, I asked her “Which season of Disney land and sea do you like the best?” She answered “Halloween is best! I also like the villains and the parade and goods include horror taste.” Last year, I went to go Disney Sea with her on Halloween season. It was very fascinating. I want to there again. She was good at sewing so she made costumes and put on Halloween. Her costumes are Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Alice in adventure world), LeFou (Beauty and Beast) and Penguin (Mary Poppins).

After I interviewed Saaya, I noticed I was taken prisoner by Disney! Disney resort is a good place for having a good day because we are given magic by Disney.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 14

Foods Give Special Power to Us Yuri Horii I asked my friend, Azusa to help me with this case study "What do people do to help you have a good day and a meaningful like?" The reason why I asked her was we have had a very good relationship since we were KIFL students. We belonged to same major, Airline and class. So I thought that if I asked her, she would give me very good answers. We met on July 4th at Lapas in KUIS in the evening and talked about this topic.

First about this topic, she mentioned that she likes food of her mother. She has lived in Ibaraki with her family, father, mother, older brother, and old sister. Her mother cooks for her family everyday even if she is tired or busy. In fact, when I visited her home, her mother gave me very delicious food cooked herself. So I asked her "Do you eat this delicious food every day?" She said "YES" and nodded with big smiling. I thought her mother's food made her powerful and happy.

On the next day, I sent on e-mail to her and she responded to the question "What's the best food of your mother?" She said, "It's OBENTO" She said her OBENTO always has variety. Her mother always wakes up early and cooks every day for her. So it gives her mother's "LOVE" she said "I always appreciate her. I love my mother." I think her family members are very close.

Also she said the things that make her feel good is "food". Even if we do not feel good, we can be fine by food because "food is energy". When she was a child, her mother always said the words to her. So she has eaten not only her favorite foods, but also healthy foods. Indeed she is always healthy, looks good and fine! I think.

In conclusion, I consider her things that help her to have a very full day is "foods". It is very important because food has 2 points, energy and love. For her, foods make her feel good! Moreover, I think foods make us happy. When I was tired or busy, foods makes me relax and filled. Also if we eat with friends or family, foods can be more delicious. So I think foods may have special power because my friend Azusa always looks happy!

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 15

Thanks Makes You Relax!

Mai Katayama I asked my sister the question, “How do people help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” because I really respect her and I thought she has a lot for ideas of this question. However, she actually can’t speak English, so I interviewed her in Japanese.

First of all, my sister said it is important for her to talk with her friends who go to same university, co-workers, and family. She said if she can’t talk with them, she can’t do her best and she isn’t motivated at all, so people around her make her relax.

In fact, she usually talks with about 40 people per day. I was very surprised to hear it.

Also, she said sleeping and eating are important things, too. She needs to sleep more than 8 hours, and then she can show her abilities and power. After hearing that, I asked her “What’s your favorite food that makes you comfortable?”

She answered that certainly I love the foods that are made by my mother. I fully understand her idea because my sister and I grew up eating our mother’s meals since we were children.

After that, I asked her again “How do people help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” Then she answered with another idea saying it is also important for her to be told “Thank you” especially at her workplace. I asked her “Can you give me some examples about it?” She said “Of course!” So I firstly would like to tell you about her employment history. She has worked at McDonald’s as a part-time worker for 4 years, and she goes to her workplace 5 times a week. As a result, she had a lot of skills, for instance communication, time management and the use of honorific words, so many associates who work there with my sister completely trust her.

Recently one of her associates said “Thank you” because my sister agreed to work the early morning shift at 6 am to 10 am because her coworker has a child who was born 6 months ago, and he needs to take care of the child in the morning.

The associate said thanks to my sister, so he could spend a lot of time with his family until starting to work at 11am. After hearing “Thank you” from the associate, my sister thought she could keep getting up really early for the associate. Actually, she gets up at 4:30am to go to work now. I respect her for doing this. However I’m really worried about her because she looks sometimes exhausted, so I taught her “Super happy optimistic joyful and prodigious!” She was happy to hear that, and then we sang the song!

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 16

Talking with Others Let Us Notice Something Shiori Kurihara I asked one of my best friends, Kumi, to help me with this case study. She is a junior and we’ve known each other for 2 years. We often talk very deeply, so I wanted to know what she would answer. I made an appointment on June 29th at 4th period to talk about this case study. When I met her at SALC on a rainy day, I asked her the question “How do people help you have a great day and a meaningful life?”

She couldn’t answer immediately, but she said, “I think people around me help me have a good day.” I asked her in more detail like, “Who are people around you?” and “How do they help you have a great day?” She gave me a detailed answer, “First of all, people around me are my friends, family and coworkers at part time job. There are three ways they help me, talking, greeting, and laughing can make a great day.

First, when I talk with people, I can get new ideas from them. In addition to that, I can realize what I don’t know myself because I have to summarize what I want to say through talking. Furthermore, I think everything starts from greetings, so good greetings help me start a great day! Finally, I can be happy when I laugh with people around me, even if I’m depressed. ” I was surprised at her thoughts because I didn’t expect that three ideas would occur to her and I agreed with them.

A day later, I sent follow up email to her, “You mentioned that talking with others can help you think about yourself and realize what you don’t know yourself.

Do you have any examples?” She responded, “I do. I haven’t decided what I will do in the future yet, but I realized what I’m interested in through talking. I was able to get new choices in the future from others.”

At the end of the interview, I asked her, “What do you think of this question and this project?” She answered smiling, “It was difficult to answer this question, but I really like it because thinking about these things makes us notice important things.” I totally agreed with that.

Through this case study, I learned many things. It’s very important to talk with others to know about myself. I thought people around me sometimes know me more than I because we can’t notice what we do unconsciously. Also, greeting and laughing are important because they can bring us happiness. In addition to that, I found a new aspect of Kumi. I want to talk about something like this question with her and live a meaningful life. Thank you, Kumi!

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 17

Friends Talk Us to Happiness Yumi Hirose I interviewed one of my friends Fuyuka. She is a student of Waseda University, and recently she came back from the USA. She went to Portland, Oregon for nine months to study abroad. So we agreed to talk in English and it was fun for both of us. My interview lasted about 20 minutes on July 5th by phone. We graduated from the same high school and we both belonged to the same dance club.

First, I explained the details of the interview. She seemed interested in my class. And I asked the question, "What do people do to help you have a great day and meaningful life?" She started to think and told me it was a little bit difficult question. A few minutes later, she told me that what came up in her brain was playing with her friends. Playing with friends is so enjoyable for her. So I asked more details.

What is kind of playing? She said, it is traveling, going shopping, having a lunch, and just talking.

So I asked, can you give me an example of a time when this happened? She said, for example, after university classes, she can go somewhere with her friends and be refreshed by talking about her life, both the good and the bad. She said that sometimes friends give her good advice and it encourages her. Many friends give her new ideas and help her to live a better life. So friends make her grow and feel so happy.

Then I asked how about your US friends? She answered that, "they also make me grow." They often tell their feelings directly, so they could have a good relationship expressing their true opinions. Moreover, when she missed Japan, her Japanese friends gave messages using line and Skype. She was so impressed and she felt friends are so important for existence.

After finishing this interview, I summarized to her the answers she gave to me and confirmed what she said. Through this interview, I could notice that a casual day spent with my friends can make my day so meaningful. I totally agree with her opinion. And it was the first time to talk with her in English for a long time, so it was an interesting interview. I want to talk with her in English more because we both like speaking English!

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 18

Be Grateful to Yourself and Others Miyuki Suzuki I asked my younger sister Tomoka to help me with this case study. She is third year in high school. We both are last year students and we talk about our future lately. I felt that this question is what we have to think about seriously to decide which job or which university is best for us.

This case study was held in our living room on July 1st and took about 10 minutes. I asked her “What do people do to help you have a good day and a meaningful life?” She simply answered, “They make themselves beautiful.” She explained this means that we can have a good day by taking care of our body or having a healthy diet every day. It’s important to care not only for the outside but also the inside of it. In addition, she said, “To do something for someone makes our inside happy.” When we do that without worrying about money or time, someone would say “Thank you!” with a smile. Then, we also feel happy.

The next day, I questioned her further, “Can you tell me some examples of your answers in detail?” and she said “Of course.” First, she taught me what she does to be healthy and beautiful. She often checks magazines or web sites about new products for her beauty and gets information of how to be healthy. Every time she takes a bath, she uses some body care products such as facial pack, hair treatment, body cream, and so on and massages herself. After she knows about some foods that are good for our health, she tries them such as hot yogurt and soy beans. Second, she told me her nice story of her friend’s birthday surprise. Before she had the surprise, she prepared a Disney ticket, a handmade album, and some presents for her friend. Her friend was so glad and talked proudly about it to many of her friends.

I noticed when she was thankful she showed her gratitude. She looks after her body well so her body gives her health and beauty. She does good things for people around her so they repay her favor. I learned that the important thing is to do something for not only someone but also ourselves with our feelings of gratitude. If we love ourselves, we love others. When we make an effort for ourselves, or someone, we can be happy.

It was interesting for me because I got new ideas from my sister’s answer of the question. I felt we need to express out loud what we think and shouldn’t think only in our mind.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 19

Be a Hungry Learner!

Sumika Tozawa I asked a classmate, Yoichi, “What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” He is one year my senior in the English department at KUIS. I chose him because he is a hard worker and he lends me an ear when I have some trouble. I often met him and asked some questions about this project at Lapaz, Media Plaza, and his home.

At first, I asked him at Lapaz “What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” It was raining cats and dogs. Yoichi answered, “For me, it’s my father. When I play shogi (Japanese chess) with him, he always says “you should think ten strategies in your head.” Actually his words have dramatically changed my life because even if I face some difficulties, I can solve them because I can find and think some solutions in my head using his words.” After his story, I compared his father with mine. Actually, my father told me about strategies like that when I was a junior high school student. I was a member of the tennis club and he always said, “You should think how to beat by opponents without power. You can use your great technique.” After his words, I changed my thinking.

I asked Yoichi some questions three days later, “Why are ten strategies good for you when you play shogi?” and “Do you have any good (or effective) experiences with your family?” at his home. Then he answered, “Regarding your first question, a simple strategy is easily beaten by an opponent but having more than ten strategies makes it more possible to win. About your second question, I recognize making effort is really important in life through my sister. My sister is a hard worker so she never gives up easily. As a result, she obtained a lot of great titles in her life and still now she continues to make an effort.” I noticed that he and his sister are really hard workers and they have much confidence, so if they face some difficulties, they can overcome problems.

Also, he said that this experience makes his job hunting easier because he prepared many strategies before he fills out a job registration form and has a job interview. If he faces a difficult task, he can overcome it. I hope his job hunting go well. I thank him for his kindness and cooperation.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 20

Battery Charging for a Meaningful Life!

Shiori Sensui I asked one of my best friends, Yui to help me with this case study. We graduated from the same JHS, so have known each other for ten years. She is now a kindergarten teacher. I interviewed her on July 5th, Sunday, because we went to karaoke and had dinner that day. I asked her “How do people help you have a great day and meaningful life?” She said, “That question is a little bit difficult…” So I explained this case study more specifically, she understood this question, and answered as follows.

First, she mentioned her job. She is now working at a kindergarten and teaches 1 to 2 year-old children. She loves her job and her children. She feels worth or satisfaction the most when she sees children growing up. For example, a boy, who could not have said that he needed to pee, spoke up on that day and he could tell her.

Small things like this make her happy when she notices the small growth of children.

She does not like to scold them, but she believes scolding will connect to their growth.

Also, she is always relaxed with the children. She loves children and they are just 1~2 years old. She said, “They are so cute! ” I felt she really liked her job.

Although she has some stress, she will continue working there. I thought I want to be like her when I work next year. She has some troubles while working, but she feels it is worth working hard for the goal of developing young children. She feels satisfaction and meaningfulness in her daily work. She is not just a friend, but a person whom I respect.

Through this case study, I thought jobs help us have a meaningful life. I want to feel that I have a great day and meaning life through my job like my friend, Yui. Moreover, I learned that everyone helps us have a great day and meaningful life, even children. Her children make her happy and relaxed, so she gets energy from them, and she gives the energy to me, and I get energy. That is why I can help others such as my family, friends, and the customers of my part time job have a great day.

People are connecting to each other, and everyone can help us have a great day and meaningful life. We charge each other’s emotional batteries every day.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 21

Talking with Mr. Endo Yukino Sasaki I asked the owner of my part time job, his name is Mr. Endo. Now, I work at a dinning bar in my hometown, the name is FUZZY. This bar is a small place so always I work with him one-to-one. That is why I usually talk a lot with him. Then, I asked, “What do people do to help you have a great day and meaningful life?”

Firstly, he answered getting advice or appreciation from customers satisfies and motivates him. All dishes are made by Mr. Endo are really delicious and also they look great, so when guests see the dishes, they say “wow!!” “looks wonderful”, “lovely!” , and so on. When he sees the expressions, he feels satisfaction, he said.

As I wrote, FUZZY is small and most seats are at the counter, so it is easy to communicate with customers face-to-face. He and also I enjoy talking with them.

Regular visitors sometimes give advice or an idea like “How about XX? It is a seasonal vegetable and it’s good for making XX!”, “Do you know XX? It is a popular alcohol in France!” After that he tries to accept their ideas and add them to the menu.

He said, “The opinions of my customers is very important for me, FUZZY is developing with them.”

Next, he talked about his family. He lives with his wife and two sons. He loves his family very very much, and always he looks joyful when he is talking about his family. FUZZY opens Monday to Saturday, so he has only one day off a week. If I have only one day off, I want to take sleep a lot and don’t want to go out so much.

However, he hangs out with his sons almost every week, he always thinks how he can have fun with them. Actually, he went to a BBQ last Sunday from early morning.

Additionally, he wakes up at 6 AM every day to eat breakfast with his family. He works lunch time to night every day, so it is difficult to eat and have time to talk with them except on Sundays. He said he always wakes up at the same time even if he worked until midnight the day before. I am always convinced he is a great husband and father when I talk about family with him. He said, “I can heal my self being with them, and they make my motivation. They are my treasure!”

Maybe, we can create a meaningful life alone, but with the help and kindness from people in our lives, it can have more meaning. I noticed this by talking with Mr. Endo.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 22

Courage Giving Friends Hanae Otani I interviewed my friend who is very close to me. She speaks in a west dialect because she is from Mie prefecture. We belonged to a same club, so we became friends when we were freshman. I interviewed her in media plaza at KUIS after school. It was a very hot day, so we stayed in inside. The interview took about half an hour because we were talking about other things too.

I asked her “How do people help you have a great day and a meaningful life?”

First, she said “When I am sharing time with my friends.” She thinks she needs to have time to stay by herself, but she also needs time with others. When she eats food with her friends, she thinks the foods taste better. When she watches comedy programs with her friends, she laughs more than when she watches it alone. When she goes shopping with her friends, she can ask her friends which clothes suit her.

She can talk about anything to her friends: part time job, classes, boys, and hobbies.

She can be herself when she is with her friends. Her friends have a big impact on her.

Second, she answered, “When my friends help me, I feel happy and it helps me to have a great day.” It might be anything, for example, when she faces a problem and she doesn’t know how to overcome it. Her friends can give some good advice because friends know well about her for long time, so their advice can be helpful and trustable for her. Friends give her power and she can’t replace them.

Third, she said “When people support my dream.” She went to some developing countries as a volunteer for one year. Before she decided to go those countries, she struggled many times. She needed to take a year off from school when she went as a volunteer, so it was a big decision to go there or not. However, some of her friends supported her dream and she could go her own way, she didn’t lose her dream. Experiences in developing countries made her very strong in both physical and mental ways. Her friends are always by her side and support her. They are inseparable.

In conclusion, friends are very important for her and they help her to have a great life. Through this interview, I could understand they strengthen her and give her courage to do what she really wants to do.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 23

Friends make us happy Makiko Tsuchiya I interviewed my friend, Chika at lunchtime. It was a sunny day, so we were happy because it was recently very rainy. We were going to have a lunch out of classroom, but it was too hot and we changed our plan. We have known each other since we were freshman. We eat lunch every week even though we don’t take the same class. I know everything about her and she also knows everything about me.

She is one of my best friends. I asked her, “What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?”

She answered, “My friends give me a good life.” I was surprised by her answer because I thought the same. I asked why she thinks so. She said that talking with her friends encourages her and makes her positive even if she was disappointed.

I asked her for an example, and she answered as follows.

We both do job-hunting and it gives us a lot of stress and we feel uneasiness every day. Every time we meet, we talk about what we did and what we feel and what we are going to do…everything. Recently we talked about the uneasiness of job-hunting. However, as we were talking, we forget our worries and were laughing before we realized it.

I completely agree with her. When we talk about our uneasiness, we don’t solve our problems or trying to cheer each up. However we feel our problems have gone.

I asked her what kind of friends makes you happy. She said that friends who are positive thinking make her happy the best, but she feels it is interesting to have a lot of kinds of friends. She can experience and learn a lot of things spending time with various kinds of friends. I can understand the reason why she has many friends. She is able to make friends easily and get along with everyone. I respect her because I am afraid of strangers and it takes a long time to make friends for me. I think that her thinking to her friends gathers a lot of friends and they like her.

Through this project, I found that friends help us have a great day and a meaningful life, because they give us many experiences and think diversely.

Moreover, talking about our problems remove our uneasiness and we feel happy. I want to be a person who can influence other people. It is good thing that we can help and need each other.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 24

Friends Makes Our Lives Meaningful.

Yuina Takeuchi I interviewed my best friend Hideko who went to the same HS. Our characters are very similar, so we can relax when we meet. We meet once a month at least, so I asked the question “What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” while having a dinner with her. At first, she was surprised when she heard the question, however, she suddenly answered my question.

“Hmm… I think my friends always makes me happy!” she answered. She really likes going out somewhere, so we often enjoy thinking about the place where we should go next time. When we decide a destination, we talk a lot about it, for example the place we want to go, what we want to do, what we want to eat and so on. While talking, we always fantasize these things and we laugh a lot, so she said, she always feels happy when she is talking with friends because it makes her realize how important it is to have friends. I asked one more question to her, “Why does talking with friends make you realize how important it is to have friends?” and she answered.

“Because when I’m talking with friends, I always feel I am not alone and I can relax.

When I was in a bad mood because I made a mistake at my part-time job, then I spoke about it to my friend, and the friend cheers me up and it makes me feel good again.”

Also, sharing happy moments is important for her because it gives her power to live. I asked “What great memories have you made with friends lately?” She answered. “I think the Ramen tour with you!” She really likes eating ramen because it is her favorite food. So she and I decided to hold a tour of eating ramen to be happy.

We chose two ramen shops because one was for lunch and the other was for dinner.

The tour’s goal was eating ramen but we could talk a lot while on the move, also we enjoyed walking in the town we have never been. We could enjoy the whle day! Then she said, “If I had no friends, I could not share such happy moments, I cannot laugh, and cannot talk, so I would feel lonely and stressed. Time with friends creates great memories.” When she feels stress, she can recall the happy moments she has spent with friends and change her mood.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 25

Family always helps me Fukano Natsumi Seika is my friend who studies to be a nurse. She has a many things she has to do, so she is very busy. Last month, I met her and talked about many things. She said “I have trainings at hospitals. The rainings are very hard and difficult.” Also she said she couldn’t get along well with her friends. However she had to do trainings with them, so she felt very bad.

Recently, I met her again and we ate dinner together. Then I asked her, “How do people help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” She answered, “My family helps me every day.” She has a mother, father and older sister. Before, she had lived in a dormitory. But she couldn’t get along well with friends who lived there, so she left the dormitory. She spends two hours to go to school every day and she takes the first period class every day. She has to wake up very early. Her mother wake up earlier than her and makes breakfast for her. It may be a natural thing, but she is very appreciative. Her older sister lives in a dormitory, and sometimes she comes back home. Seika loves her, and they talk a lot. One day, she talked her about school, trainings and her friends. Then her sister said, “You can do anything you want to do. I always will support you!” She thought her family was always beside her and helped her. They make her motivated. She also said, “Thanks to my family, I can do my best at school even if there are bad things. I will be good nurse in the future!”

After few days, I asked her by email, “Do you help your family to make their lives good?” Then she answered, “I always try to help them. When my father comes back home from the company, he is tired. Sometimes his boss scolds him. I talk with him about happy things at night and he smiles!” Also she said, “My mother said she wanted me to smile and it was the most important thing for her. Also she said my smile made her smile. So I smile every day!”

We spend a long time with our family and I think they are the most familiar persons. They understand us very well. Also, Seika’s family understands her very well, so they can make her life good.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 26

Met Diversity and Change Your Life Koji Sakamoto I interviewed my roommate, Ayane. She is my best friend from my freshman year. When we finished dinner on Sunday, I asked her the question “ What do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life” She was suddenly surprised and she got confused. She thought about it for a few minutes and she said “Maybe, the presence of many friends makes me happy and brings me a great life.” I asked her why and she answered in more depth.

First, she told me that she often gets nervous or depressed. However, her friends always help her. For example, talking with her, making her laugh or surprised.

When a friend helps her, she feels very happy. I asked a follow-up question to her.

“Do you help your friends and make them happy?” She said, “ Of course, I think kindness is the best way to help, and it brings people happiness and a successful life.” I agree with her opinion. People can’t live alone in full life, but with friends or other we can live in a sense of fulfillment.

Secondly, she told me that friends influence our life. When she was a freshman at KUIS, she was not interested in Korea. However, she met an exchange student, Egyong from Korea, and Ayane got interested in Korean, music and food.

“She changed your world?” I asked. “Yes. But I didn’t like Korea until meeting her.

Because Korea and Japan have many problems in history and I don’t like the national character. But in fact, I noticed by meeting Egyong that they are very kind, and it helped and influenced my life” she said.” I was very impressed by her story.

Meeting new people changes our minds.

After the interviewed, I understood friend is very important for our life. Ayane is very happy now, because she meet many friends at KUIS and they give her helps, pleasure and laugh. Also she influences to her friends by help and talking. She finally taught to me a song. “For good” from broadway musical “Wiked”. The lyrics said “Because I know you, I have been changed for good” It is same as Ayane said. We should continue to help each other and feel happy in our life!

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 27

Self Actualization Through Friends Ryuichi Shitara I asked the question “what do people do to help you have a great day and a meaningful life?” to a KUIS staff member, also my good senior friend, Takuya. He is 27 years old, has already graduated from KUIS, and works at the university. The place we had an interview was KUIS’ 5th facility nicknamed millennium house. The reason I chose him was because I wanted to be unique by asking KUIS staff.

What he first mentioned was it was a difficult question. He told me that he hadn’t thought about what I have asked. He went silent and considered the question for a while, and slowly started “to be recognized, needed by other people, in other words to fulfill a basic human desire leads happiness after all.” He continued, “For example, when friends notice me and speak to me, also making some greeting. I like playing TV games, by the way, but these kinds of feelings are different. Different happiness, joy arises.” I asked follow up question as “in terms of talking with somebody, what do you think of this?” He answered, “Probably it is one of the most joyful times. When I am asked to go out for dinner, I appreciate it. And, over dinner, having a talk with my friend who I don’t usually speak with is a more precious time.”

After the interview, I reflected on the meeting and thought that all the answers everyone thinks of are basically related to human desire. There is a concept named hierarchy of needs that Maslow advocated. According to him, there are steps of human needs, going from physiological needs and safety to love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization. What Takuya said, “to be recognized and needed by somebody” is assumed as love/belonging and esteem. I thought that human being share the same concepts. As for myself, even friends talking to me energizes me.

Later I sent a message to him asking, how had he changed his behavior after the interview. He told me that he came to think how other people engage with him to spend a better life. I thought, to recognize how others influence our lives can make our lives fruitful.

KUIS July 2015

Changing the World

Change Yourself 28

At IDE JETRO

Da Vinci Bridge

Juggling